Love Will Keep Us Alive (A Bethyl Fanfiction- TWD)
by Pixie286
Summary: Beth Greene and Daryl Dixon, two entirely different personalities- a rowdy redneck and a sweet young farm girl, stuck together in the midst of an apocalypse. But as everyone says 'opposite attracts' and it will eventually lead them to survive the horrors with their love, as they know that it is the only thing that's worth fighting for.
1. Prologue

**PROLOGUE**

It has been a month since Rick brought in those residents from Woodbury and things had been quite smooth and settled since then, with no intrusion from the Governor and his men. At the prison, everyone had a certain job and people had been cooperative enough to make the prison a better place to live in peacefully, in spite knowing that the future is uncertain and that the impending doom was inevitable.

Rick had been finally over with Lori's death or atleast he pretended to be, and now has resorted to farming so that the group could be self-sufficient with lesser need of going on runs. Carl's gun had been seized by Rick for his earlier action of killing a helpless boy, though he helps his father in farming and the other chores. Daryl had proven to be one of the most efficient members of the group with the entire prison depending on his hunting skills, as the numbers of survivors were increasing in the prison, and canned food couldn't cope up with the everyone's need. Carol was now one of the members of the prison council including Hershel, Maggie, Glenn, Rick, Daryl, Sasha and Tyreese, and had been one of the most productive members. It was surprising to see how far Carol had come; shedding her previous self and turning herself into a bold personality. Hershel had been the same, gentle and caring, providing his medical aid to the ones in need and never faltering to hold on to his faith in God. Maggie and Glenn, the two lovebirds- still irrevocably in love in the midst of an apocalypse; their love setting an example that love could still thrive in a decaying and rotting world where humanity is a word long forgotten.

And there was Beth, the youngest of the Greene family who once tried to take her own life as she thought her life wasn't worth living. When the hell broke lose and Beth lost her mother and brother, all she wanted was to die. Her will to live came to an end when the two closest people to her, was shot that day in the farm but still, it wasn't the end of Beth Greene, for she decided to live. She never thought that her life could make a difference in anyone's life but now she was the one taking care of baby Judith and Carl in this ruthless world and it did matter. She is now, a strong and optimist women who holds onto her faith in God same as her father, and wants to live for her family at the Prison who needs her as much she needs them. She had decided to hold onto her faith and live the best she could in the outnumbered days, loving these people who needs and cares for her as she knows, love is the only thing that will keep them alive in this insufferable and inhuman world.


	2. Never Looked At You That Way

**NEVER LOOKED AT YOU THAT WAY**

Growing up, Daryl Dixon, never had the type of family he wished for. He only had Merle beside him and life wasn't exactly great. Even before the apocalyptic world, Daryl Dixon's life had always been bumpy and not so affluent, which contributed to his aloof personality. But somehow he felt comforted with this new family at the prison, even though he didn't like to admit it much. After losing Sophia, Dale, Lori, T-Dog and Andrea, the mere thought of losing anyone from the group made him cringe, but 'losing' people you care for had become inevitable in this world. And today they lost Zach, a former Woodbury resident and Beth's boyfriend who got bitten by a walker on their run today.

As usual, Daryl took the responsibility of breaking the news to Beth, as he had always been the one to do away with the harder tasks which the others found difficult to act upon.

Typically, he wasn't the type of person to get involved in these, what he considered to be some 'damn romance novel'' but today, he found himself to be quite distraught by the whole incident. He knew that the news would probably crush the young blonde who had already lost so much and no matter how much he tried to avoid the uneasiness inside him, he couldn't just devise up a subtle way to break in the news.

"Hey.'" Daryl said in his low gruff voice as he entered halfway into Beth's cell.

It was rarely on a very few occasions that the two interacted, and so it all somehow made him feel awkward to be in her cell at the moment, trying to tell her about her boyfriend's death.

Beth was scribbling on what appeared to be journal at the time when Daryl entered her cell.

"Hey." She looked up and greeted back as she put down her journal and lifted herself from the bed.

"Need t'talk 'bout somethin'" Daryl said with a look that contained both guilt and disdain which aroused an anxiety at the pit of her stomach.

"Yeah?" She replied, her voice almost inaudible with her heart beating rapidly in her chest. On not getting any reply from the archer, Beth got down from her bunk bed and walked up to him.

Looking from the dejected look on his face, Beth took no time to realize that something was off.

"What is it?" she asked trying to appear bold. "Is it about Zach?"

"Ya," Daryl hesitated for a second, "walker got him." he sighed as he stared at the concrete floor trying not to make any eye contact. He always felt guilty when they lose someone and for not being able to protect them. Somehow he would put that entire blame on himself as if it was due to his inability to save them. This would provoke him to feel alot more regretful than it was necessary and Beth knew it well. Even if she wasn't that close with the archer, she was well aware of how he would let his anguish and guilt swallow him.

"Is he dead?" Beth asked, her voice calmed, even though her insidies were silently screaming at what lay infront of her.

"Yes" he muttered, not looking up to her. He was totally convinced that Beth would break down at this point. To be honest he genuinely had no idea how to console a eighteen year old and was dreading about the awkwarness that was about to slide in. He sure had never been good with either words or with women, or anything related to emotions and struggled to act upon such instincts.

But Beth held her ground. "I knew it was coming one day or the other," she replied casually as if she had not been affected at all. It was hard for her to not break down at that moment but she had already prepared herself for something like this.

She was just glad that she got to know Zach, even if it was for a very little time.

"Nothing is permanent in this world now Mr Dixon..." she paused and inhaled deeply. "friends, family relationships, everything will come and go, but we will have to live with it." Beth continued in a low but steady voice, her eyes fixed on him as he continued to bore his eyes downwards. "We can't do anything to make it the way it used to be, but we could make the best out of the days we've got."

Daryl looked up and averted his gaze to Beth, somewhat stunned at her words. Just before few months ago she had slited her wrists, giving up on life and now she was the one to speak words of optimism.

He felt an weird sense of comfort in her words even though he tried not to rely on it, knowing that such comforts only brought weakness and he wasn't the one to succumb to it.

The world was cruel and there was no room for comfort and optimism.

"I know" he replied finding himself at a loss of words, as he studied her face which still lacked any sign of distress.

The awkward silence had already crept between them and Daryl decided to make his exit from the cell.

He slowly dragged his body out of the cell when Beth's voice stopped him. "Daryl, I know you hate losing people, everybody does but don't be so hard on yourself."

He stiffened but said nothing. He simply remained firm and began to wonder why was he even listening to a dumb teenager whose life had been all about fairytales and happy endings. What would she know about life and the struggles of it.

He didn't move but stood there absorbing the words, which didn't falter to incite him deep inside. Her words were simple, yet bold in some sense.

"You're a good man Daryl, and stop blaming yourself. I know you did everything you could to protect him" Beth assured, knowing completely how hard he was on himself and how he absored all the blame. It was never confessed but she saw it apparent enough in his eyes.

She had noticed his aloofness and how distant he was sometimes. She was unable to make out why at that moment she awanted to soothe him as if she could sense his bitter memories, his anguish and his frustration and everything that made him different from the others.

Daryl stood stunned. He wasn't sure if he was agitated or comforted by her words. He was just captivated by how fearlessly yet simply she spoke, not breaking her gaze even for a minute.

"Y'know nothin' 'bout me" he stated flatly trying not to sound rude.

Beth frowned but said nothing. There was nothing to say about this, so she instead leant forward and hugged him. It was a friendly one, but it was warm and comforting. She remained silent but wondered why she needed to do that- why she needed to hug Daryl Dixon, who was far from being a social creature, and with whom she never had a proper conversation before.

Daryl hesitated but he didn't retract from it. Even though he liked the embrace he didn't return it back. He was confused and tried to chuck away the entire thing, being unsure of how to react.

"Um. . . I should go." Daryl informed, as Beth withdrew herself from the embrace. She nodded and gave him an innocent smile.

"Tell me if ya need anythin, lil' songbird'" Daryl muttered blankly and exited Beth's cell, leaving the young blonde to smile at the new nickname she has just earned, despite the awkward conversation that had just occured.


	3. Bittersweet

It was midnight when Beth woke up to cries of a fussy Judith who was nestled in the crib beside her bed. The baby was teething and only Beth could calm her down. With a sigh Beth got down from her bed and picked up the crying babyy. "Hush lil baby," she cooed while rocking the baby in her arms. "I'm here now."

Beth loved Judith. She always wanted a baby of her own but now even the mere thought of it seemed ridiculous to her. Her heart ached knowing that she would never have the life she always wished for- a charming husband, a dream wedding, a house by the lake, babies and happy endings. All of that seemed alien to her now. Now all she wanted was to survive and live for her remaining family and Judith who was still crying in her arms.

She decided to take Judith outside, hoping that the cool midnight air might calm her down, and tucked in her knife even though she knew that it was pretty much safe outside. Rocking the baby in her arms, she headed outside and the mild midnight air hit against her. It felt nice, felt peaceful with the chirping of crickets and the moonlight shining above which cast a dim yet serene light over the place. 'Some things remained the same even though the world had turned into shit.' Beth thought to herself.

She paced back and forth trying to calm the sobbing baby whose cries had dropped a little after soaking the pleasant breeze outside. Beth started to sing quietly, rocking the baby in her arms when a voice interrupted her. "Ya' know it ain't safe to wander outside in the middle'a the night, especially with a baby."

Turning around she found Daryl putting off a cigarette butt with his boots. Beth made a disgusted face as the smell of cigarettes filled the air around them. She always hated the smell of cigarettes and found them repulsive.

"Wasn't wondering around" Beth answered scrunching her face a little. "And it's safe enough here." she completed.

Daryl could see her face glowed up from the dim moonlight. She seemed delicate yet her eyes gave away sparks of fierceness which kind of intrigued him, but something made him nervous deep inside while talking with Beth.

"Alright" he replied and spun around to leave while placing a new cigarette on his lips.

He didn't want to talk further, as talking with girls like Beth wasn't his cup of tea. Girls like Beth were sweet and lively and Daryl had no experience in dealing with them. He always hung out with Merle and the girls he used to bring around, and as far his mind could remember they spent majority of their timing boozing or smoking pot and sometimes hooking up; nothing more, nothing less.

But Beth was different, different in her own and simple ways. She knew that Daryl didn't talk much but was somewhat pissed at his lack of communication skills and the away he tried to avoid her. She knew he wasn't exactly the chatty types, but expected a few words more out of him. No matter how much he seemed to be reserved and distant, she knew it well that he was soft and kind person underneath.

She was a bit hurt and upset by his behavior, like she was not even worth talking with, especially when all she had ever been was nothing but sweet to him.

"This is gross you know!" Beth spat back, not finding anything else to reply in particular.

Turning back to her, he stood there puzzled. He never saw Beth raise her voice or being angry at anyone. Her voice had always been sweet and gentle, and he couldn't remember any instance when her voice carried that particular tone which she was carrying now.

"What?" he mumbled with his eyes narrowed and the cigarette stuck between his lips.

"You know this bad habit of yours." She pointed to his cigarette, still with the appalled look plastered on her face.

Withdrawing the unlit cigarette and stuffing it back into his pocket, Daryl blurted out. "Why do ya even care?"

Nobody from the group had ever remarked on this habit of his, not even Carol who was the closest to him. Nobody cared about it, but Beth did and she wasn't afraid to speak it out.

"It ain't none of your business." Daryl replied with a cold voice even though he tried hard not to.

Beth was now visibly hurt by the sudden outburst of his rude demeanour but tried her best not to show it. She couldn't apprehend his erratic behaviour. Just before few days he teasingly gave her a new nickname and today, he was being a total jerk.

All she did was care about him. Maybe her words were not in place and didn't reflect well, but she did care.

"Oh yes, it isn't Mr Dixon but trust me when I say it- this thing will kill you for sure if the walkers doesn't" Beth retorted, her voice partially enraged.

At first Daryl found it ridiculous; a girl half his age giving him advice about smoking but then, it hit him. No doubt, he was strong and fearless but deep inside; he was sensitive and craved for affection. And Beth's words aroused a hint of warmness inside him.

Maybe it was a very small thing, but for Daryl it did make an impact. He was not used to people caring about him but Beth's word triggered that particular emotion in him.

Still, he was reluctant to acknowledge it. He didn't want anyone to get closer to him. After losing Merle, he had build up his wall, and was adamant about not to let anyone in.

Daryl wanted to apologize to Beth, but his ego took over him."Watch yer' words girl. 'And stay the fuck away from me." Daryl snapped but instantly regretted his choice of words. But the damage was done and he couldn't take it back.

Beth stood there with a sleeping Judith in her arms, trying to hold back her tears. She wasn't angry but hurt; she thought she could bring him out of his desolation but she was so wrong.

"You're unbelievable." Beth smiled. A smile filled with sting.

With that she went inside with the sleeping Judith in her arms, leaving a guilt-stricken Daryl to ponder upon the whole thing.

'Why did I do that?' Daryl asked himself as he walked back to the bottle of alcohol placed in the corner few steps back. For him, alcohol was the key to escapism, and he wanted to escape from his feelings, his life and the way Beth Greene made him feel.

* * *

"Daryl, wake up!" Carl shook the hunter as he frantically tried to wake him up.

Normally, Daryl never needed anyone to wake him up. He would always be up before everyone else and would go hunting to provide for the day's meals. But today it was different, maybe because of all the alcohol he gulped down last night after his bitter-sweet conversation with Beth.

"What?" he asked as he stirred and woke up.

"Dad wants you."

"Why?" Daryl asked as he sat up and put on his angel winged vest.

"Dunno, dad just told me to find you and tell that he was looking for you"

"Alrigh' I'll go n'see him." Daryl replied as he grabbed his crossbow from the floor and headed outside to find Rick.

It was a sunny day in Atlanta and the sun rays were heavily striking Daryl's eyes as he had a little hangover from yesterday night's drinking. The prison was in full swing, with everyone doing their cores and the children playing around as if everything was normal.

As he walked around to find Rick, Hershel called out to him "Daryl, Rick was lookin' for you" The old man was chatting with an aged fellow from Woodbury while Daryl walked around searching for Rick.

"Yea, I kno'. Where is he?" Daryl asked impatiently.

"Easy, there son. He's working on the pig sty. You'll find him there if he's still working."

"Thanks" Daryl muttered and made his way towards the Pig sty. When Daryl finally found Rick, he was wiping his muddied hands on a piece of cloth.

Rick has changed over the month; his leadership skills were at the lowest, and now he mostly spend his time indulged in farming and all those related chores.

"Hey Daryl, I was looking for you." Rick greeted with a smile.

"Yea, I know. What's the matter?"

"Nothing much," Rick sighed and came closer to stand face to face with him. "You know I trust you the most, Daryl. You've been an efficient member of the group and I want you to look after them in my absence."

Rick knew that Daryl was the only person who would selflessly protect the others in his absence. He knew Daryl was responsible but still wanted to have a word with him. Meanwhile Daryl found it weird, the way Rick was talking; he had always looked after everyone even without Rick asking him to.

"I will. Ya don't 'ave t'worry bout' it." He assured him.

"You maybe thinking why I'm telling you this all of sudden" Rick chuckled.

"Nah, nothin' like that"

"Well, there's nothing serious about it but I know, you're the only one who would selflessly protect these people,"

"Yeah maybe" Daryl mumbled, with his voice almost inaudible.

After Lori's death Rick had been quite disoriented, yet they were able to rescue Glenn and Maggie from Woodbury and even save the Prison from the Governor. But now, it was different; he was not his usual self and he wouldn't carry his gun around anymore. He would either be farming or tending to the pig's sty with the aid of Hershel and Carl.

"Tomorrow, Glenn and the others are going for a supply run" Rick informed as they both started to head towards the people gathered around the grill. "I know anything could happen but try to get everyone back."

Daryl now understood why Rick was being so weird; he was worried over what happened to Zach few weeks ago. He was feeling guilty about it, for not being out there that day and wanted to make sure that nothing as such happened tomorrow.

"I will do my best." Daryl reassured him with a nod, wondering if he could really do that.

* * *

Beth had been helping Carol with the dishes when her eyes caught the sight of Daryl cleaning his crossbow. The sun made his face brighter and she can't help but notice how muscular he had become since the first time she saw him at the farm. His facial features were still attractive and his hair was a few inches longer than what it used to be.

Beth scolded herself mentally, for thinking that way about a man who didn't give a shit about her and not to mention, even told to stay away from him. Meanwhile, Daryl had already seen Beth and was wondering if she had seen him too. He kept pretending to clean his crossbow and behaved like she didn't exist, but when his eyes involuntarily peeked at her, he caught her staring at him. Beth got embarrassed and immediately retracted her gaze and fixed it on the dishes she had been cleaning.

Both Beth and Daryl were quite oblivious to the fact that the whole thing was being watched by Carol whose senses were at its highest peak.

"Having any problem with Daryl?" Carol asked Beth, with her usual sweet smile, sensing the tension between them.

"No nothing. We don't even talk properly." Beth replied with a sheer hesitation in her voice.

"You can talk with me Beth, if anything's bothering you."

Beth was now irritated at the way Carol was poking her nose into her business and wanted to flee from the situation. She knew that Daryl and Carol were quite close, and one thing Beth knew for sure was that she didn't want Carol to get involved in her and Daryl's matter.

"I need to go," Beth informed as she wiped her hands. "Have to feed Judith."

She then went inside leaving a confused Carol to complete the work they both had been doing.

Carol now, wholly convinced that something's been cooking between the two of them, went and sat beside Daryl who was still cleaning his crossbow. She had been observing both of them in the past few weeks, and could visibly point out the tension that hung around them.

She cared about Daryl and didn't want him to get into any conflict regarding Beth as she knew Hershel would never approve anything between them. And there was Maggie and Glenn to back him up. Even Rick would find it inappropriate and would leave the matter for Hershel to resolve.

"What's the matter between you Beth?" she asked quietly.

"Nothin'."

"Oh come on, don't lie to me. I've seen the tension between you both. Just tell me what's going on." She pleaded hoping to get an answer.

"She was bein' a pain in the ass. And then I said somethin' rude." Daryl replied nonchalantly, still wiping his crossbow.

"And?"

"And what? That's all. What else it would be?" Daryl asked in a irritated voice as he stood up and glared at Carol.

Carol sighed. She knew Daryl would never blurt it out completely but still tried to reason with him

"I know you won't tell me but still I'll tell you to stay away from that girl. It won't lead you to anything but trouble." Daryl didn't reply anything and was looking down.

Carol frowned and continued, "Don't think I have anything against her, she's a sweet girl but I don't want you to get affected by her."

Still no reply from Daryl who continued to stare at the concrete ground beneath him.

Carol got up reluctantly and was about to leave, but then turned back. "You should apologize to her."

Daryl looked up at her with a questioned look.

"She's just kid, with a little a crush on you," Carol chuckled. "She'll get over it eventually. Just don't be mean to her." And with that Carol left Daryl alone while she again resumed her chores.

Daryl thought about it for a minute and shouts over to Carol, "I will!" realising that it would be the best course of action and would probably quell his guilt over how he behaved with Beth last night.

* * *

 **Hey guys, I hope you liked the chapter. I didn't want them to fall in love immediately as it ruins the plot (atleast for me) and wanted to add alot of tension between them. Easy love is not fun, but 'hard to get' might bring a different twist in the story. Even I'm not sure how to put Carol- good or bad; as you know she is kind of close to Daryl but that could be good or bad thing. I want you guys to decide it and let me know.**


	4. Break And Heal

Was it supposed to matter, how Daryl treated her? No. It shouldn't but it did.

She got her family, food, shelter, protection and everything which should matter to her right now. But something irrational, something she couldn't understand, pulled her towards the hunter and she couldn't help it.

After the things they had all been through; Beth considered them as her family now; that includes Daryl and it did matter how he treated her. It wasn't a simple crush, as Carol had implied earlier. It was rather an eccentric desire to know about him, his past, and the reason that made him to be distant from everything.

He was an enigma to her and she wanted to know him better. She wanted to soothe him and tend to his wounds, and wanted him to see the good in himself. Because that's how Beth was, she wanted everyone to be happy and not just surviving.

But all Daryl did was push her away, both with his words and action. After yesterday night's instance, Daryl had completely ignored her. He didn't even look at her, just except when he had caught her staring at him while he was cleaning his crossbow.

Beth was quite embarrassed by it and the fact that Carol had been noticing them, just added fuel to it. It was a known fact to everyone- how close Daryl and Carol were, and how tirelessly Daryl had searched for her daughter Sophia when she got separated from the group. But Beth kind of figured out that there was nothing romantic from Daryl's side but was unsure about Carol.

The sun was just setting down and just a gist of light was stretched out across the vast sky in a gradient reddish hue. The wind was blowing and the weather was calm. Beth was casually sitting outside, preoccupied with her thoughts when a voice interrupted her.

"Hey Beth, what's up?" Carl asked, waking her from her thoughts. He had been wearing his father's Sherriff hat, which he kind of always did, making a shadow to cast over his face.

"Nothing actually," Beth smiled, "What about you?"

Beth had been like an older sister to Carl; taking caring of him and Judith after Lori's death. She had always been there for him, even when Rick was severely devastated and went on a psychotic spree after Lori's death, she looked after him and his sister. Since then, both of them had developed a strong bonding and Carl had become quite protective of her nowadays.

"Just thinking of taking a walk before the sun goes down" he smiled back. "Wanna join me?"

"Yeah, sure." Beth got up, not sure if she really wanted to but then decided that it would be the best thing to do in order to escape from her thoughts.

They both walked towards the outer fence, chatting about casual stuffs, when Carl dropped in the question, "What's the matter Beth?" his eyes full of concern. "You really seem to be bothered by something." He had been noticing Beth since the morning and was sure that something was wrong.

They both stopped walking and Carl waited for an answer. "Nothing, what would it be? Everything's fine" Beth was baffled. She couldn't believe that it was so transparent that first it had been Carol and now it was Carl who had grasped the tension. She knew Carl was smart a smart kid and wondered if he had figured out that it was about Daryl.

"Beth," Carl sighed, "I know you think I'm young and that I might not be able to understand certain things, but I do."

"No, no. . ." Beth tried to assure him. She knew she could trust him but still didn't find it reasonable to share why she was irrevocably drawn towards a man double her age, who as a matter of fact, didn't show the slightest interest in her.

"I don't want you to be sad." he said softly, his gaze fixed at her.

"I'm not sad!"

"Then what's the matter? He narrowed his eyes. "Is it about Zach?"

No matter how much it sounded wrong, Carl knew Zach's death didn't hit her that much. Everyone was surprised at how calmly Beth took it. No one could even blame her after all what she had been through. She had now totally numbed herself to shield her emotions and everyone seemed o understand it.

"No, it's n . . . ot about Zach." Beth stammered.

Half of her wanted to speak it out and half of her didn't. She knew she could trust Carl, but what was afraid that he might freak out and judge her. She needed to get it out but Carl didn't make the suitable person, with whom she could share her feelings. After all he was just a kid.

"Then what is it about? You know you could trust me. Don't ya?"

"I do trust you Carl. You know that. It's just that some things are really complicated. It just can't be explained." Beth tried to reason with him, fighting back the urge to blurt it out.

"I'm tired of everyone treating me like a kid" Carl complained getting a little impatient.

"Carl . . ." Beth sighed.

"If you really trust me, you'll tell me."

"No"

"Yes"

And there it was coming. Coming out- _sheer and utter truth._ She couldn't hold it back anymore and blurted it out.

"Okay," she closed her eyes struggling to get out the words, with her face scrunched. "It's about Daryl."

* * *

'You should apologize to her.'

Those words had been lingering around in Daryl's mind since the afternoon. Carol told him that Beth had a crush on him and he blushed at the thought. Could it be real? No. She was young and lively, with her voice sweeter than honey, and he was the complete opposite. She was like the moth, being drawn towards the fire and he could burn her.

He knew he had hurt her. His behaviour wasn't exactly warm towards her and a pang of guilt stirred inside him. He had never been good with feelings, never been able to understand them. A childhood full of hatred and abuse, made him numb and incapable of empathizing these emotions. He wanted to apologize to her but was unsure of how to. There were only two ways of how he wanted to mold things up with Beth- leaving things how it was or amend the damage that was done.

He mentally debated with his thoughts for a few minutes and decided that there was no reason to sour things up with Beth. Deciding to mend things up with Beth, Daryl rose up and headed to find Beth hoping that he wouldn't regret his decision.

Beth was with Carl when he spotted her. They were near the outer fence absorbed in some conversation. He noticed that Beth looked tensed, and Carl a little amused. He approached towards them, a tad nervous, not sure of what to speak once he reached them.

"Beth, Can we talk? Daryl asked softly in his gruff voice.

Both Beth and Carl were unaware that Daryl had just entered the scenario and jumped a little when his voice interrupted them and both turned towards him, eyeing confused gazes at each other. Just when they were talking about Daryl, he shows up, when they were least expecting him. What are the odds of happening that. Carl thought to himself.

"You said he was ignoring you." He whispered to Beth.

"What?" Daryl narrowed his eyes, not being able to make out what Carl had whispered.

"Nothing" Carl shrugged simply.

Beth ignored both of them and replied nonchalantly. "Yeah sure, say."

"Alone" Daryl eyed at Carl.

Carl didn't want to leave Beth alone, not after what she had told him, about the whole thing with Daryl and her unreasoned affinity for him. But he couldn't interfere between them if Beth didn't want him to and looked at her for confirmation. She nodded and gave him a feeble smile.

"Uh, okay" Carl uttered and began to proceed back leaving the two alone.

Beth hadn't expected for Daryl to show up. The way he had been ignoring her the entire morning, made it all clear about how he didn't give a damn about her. She wasn't Michonne, Sasha or Maggie, she wasn't strong like them, and neither had contributed much for the group unlike them. Daryl was a hero and she was just a damsel in distress. No matter how much it sounded right, it wasn't a Disney movie and in reality opposite didn't attract each other. She knew that for a fact.

They both stood in silence, not looking at each other and their gazes fixed on the ground and just the groans of the walkers outside the fence lingered around.

Cutting the silence Daryl finally spoke looking at her. "Beth, I'm sorry." His voice was low but intense. She loved it when he spoke that way, in his damn gruff voice.

"For what?" Beth asked, knowing entirely as to why he was apologising.

Daryl seemed puzzled. "For yesterday. . .the way I behaved."

Beth smiled. She was happy that he had the conscience to apologize but wanted to play a little before forgiving him. "Oh, about yesterday," she breathed, "You didn't have to apologize. Wasn't a big deal. You have said meaner things to others." She smiled with a hint of sarcasm in her voice.

It was true; he had said lot of meaner and foul things to others, for which he never felt the need to apologise. But it was Beth; she was sweet, innocent and she deserved to be treated well. "Yeah, yeah, I know," he cracked half a smile, "now don't get started on that"

"I'll not"

"What would it take for you to forgive me?" Daryl grinned timidly.

"I said it wasn't a big dea . . ."

"Just name it." Daryl cut her midway.

"Alright, okay I want to go on the run tomorrow." she smiled crookedly. Beth always wanted to go on a run with them after finding the prison but it was futile to even mention it. Everyone treated her as a porcelain doll- delicate and feeble, but she knew it was important to learn to fend for herself. Neither her father nor Maggie would be there to protect her everytime. And in such case she needed to have the experience.

"You ain't joking, right?" Daryl replied in a ridiculed manner, eyes widened as he didn't see it coming.

"No, I'm not."

"It's no fun and games out there. Daryl hissed, "People die out there."

Beth knew it was true. Zach went on a run that day and everything seemed normal in the morning, but then, he never returned. "I exactly know the consequences of going out there, but I want to" she pleaded. "I want to do something, contribute something . . . I want to learn and survive."

"Yer taking care of Judith, yer duin' enough." Daryl replied, unaffected by her pleas.

"I want to do more"

Daryl chuckled while shaking his head, "No one's gonna agree to it."

"Do you think I'm not strong enough?" Beth asked, her voice had a demanding tone in it and she clearly looked agitated.

"Nothin' like that girl, you ain't getting it." Daryl wanted to agree with her but he held back. He had in his mind, that Beth needed to learn to protect herself and treating her as a weak person won't help it. Her father, her sister and the others won't be always there to protect her.

"You asked me what it would take for me to forgive you. Well this is it." Beth was adamant, with a hint of furry in her voice. "You're in the council, right?" she asked.

"Ya," Daryl blinked. "Why"

"Talk with my dad and the others. I know they will listen to you." Beth pleaded hoping that Daryl will agree to it.

Daryl thought for a while. He knew it wasn't going to be easy; the chances of getting it done was extremely minimal but still decided to give it a shot. "Alrite, I'll try but ya got to back me up."

"Yeah, of course." Beth nodded and a smile sprang up on her face as she heard those words escape from his lips. It's gonna be good, she thought. It's gonna be damn good.

* * *

Hershel, Carol and Sasha were assembled together in a room as asked by Daryl who told that he needed to talk about the run for tomorrow.

"You wanted to talk about something? Hershel asked, his voice calm as usual.

All the eyes were fixed on Daryl as they waited for an answer but he hesitated. "Yeah, Beth wanted to go on the run tomorrow."

The council members didn't see it coming. They thought it would be something related to the weapons or the strategies or anything that sort of, but was completely oblivious to the fact that it was about Beth.

Hershel narrowed his eyes, unsure of how to react and Carol was stunned. She did tell him to be nicer with her but that was only because she wanted to maintain an amicable atmosphere in the prison. She couldn't believe at how Daryl had shunned her advice about maintaining distance with the youngest Greene, and a pang of jealousy rose inside her. Sasha just seemed uninterested in the matter knowing that Hershel would decide the best for his daughter. And there was Carol to back Daryl up if it was required.

"Why would you think so?" Hershel asked.

"Because I told him, daddy" Beth announced as she stood outside the door. Everyone turned towards her. "Daddy please, I want to help." Beth entered and joined the others in the room. She glanced at Daryl who was clearly uncomfortable having that conversation.

Hershel could empathize with his daughter's sentiments but putting her life at risk didn't seemed reasonable at all. No matter what. "I know you do sweetheart, but it's not safe out there."

"Your daddy is right," Carol jumped in. "It's not safe." What the hell is her problem, Beth thought. Does she have to interfere everywhere?

Meanwhile, Daryl was silent and Beth was eyeing him to say something. "Hershel, I know your concern is entirely valid but she needs to learn. Ain't gonna always have someone to protect her." Daryl replied in defiance to Carol's statement.

Beth continued, "Daddy, it's a rough world and no one knows what will happen tomorrow. We gotta be prepared and I'm not a kid anymore. I have to be strong." Hershel pondered for a while. It hit him that they were right; Beth couldn't always have someone chaperoning for her. Soon or later she would need to look out for herself.

Hershel was a quiet for minute, trying to figure out the right course of action. "Okay, but you need to promise me one thing." He replied reluctantly giving up, still unsure of his decision.

"Anything." Beth nodded with her eyes beamed up.

"You gonna stick to Daryl and wouldn't wander around anywhere." Hershel then turned towards Daryl and continued, "and you will not leave her side, no matter what." He trusted Rick and Daryl the most, and in Rick's absence Daryl was the only one who would selflessly protect his daughter. He knew it.

"I promise daddy" Beth uttered enthusiastically, part of her not believing that her father had actually agreed to it.

All thanks to Daryl. He nodded, and at this Carol was quite annoyed. She was gaving him the 'what the hell' stares, to which Daryl subtly ignored. Beth liked Carol; she was sweet and caring but also kind of obsessed with Daryl. It didn't make her jealous or anything but she wasn't blind to the fact that Carol was smart and the least thing Beth wanted was for her to meddle between her and Daryl.

After the discussion was over, Sasha was the first one to leave who hadn't spoken a single word in the entire conversation, followed by the visibly annoyed Carol. Beth and Daryl were about to leave when Hershel called out to Daryl. "Son, can I speak with you for a moment? Alone."

Both Beth and Daryl spun around and Beth gave a questioned look to her father.

"Sweetheart, I want to talk with Daryl alone. You can leave" Hershel informed, causing a reluctant Beth to glance at Daryl who nodded at her.

After Beth had left, Daryl came closer to face Hershel. 'You wanted to say something?" he asked.

"Daryl, I have already lost my wife, my stepson and the farm . . . and almost everything," Hershel took a heavy breath; "my daughters are the only reason which has kept me going and without them, I won't have any reason to live."

"I understand." Daryl muttered softly. He could understand Hershel's sentiments, having lost his brother himself, he could clearly emphasize the feeling of having no one left in this world.

"Bring her back in one-piece." Hershel pleaded to Daryl who still looked uncomfortable but nodded.

"I will try my best." Daryl assured him and left the room, swearing to himself that he would not let anything happen to Beth and will not let Hershel down.


	5. Into The Woods

"Did you tell Maggie?" Hershel asked Beth while she was getting for the run today. It would be her first run ever, something she wanted to do since a long time. Something she wanted to learn and to contribute for; not to show or prove anything, but to do something for the people who had become her family now.

"Not yet. She was in the watch tower last night," Beth muttered as she combed through her blonde hair and tied it into a high ponytail. "Didn't get the chance to tell her."

Telling Maggie was something Beth was unsure of—as she knew that her sister would protest right away. Maggie had always been protective of her little sister and letting her risk her life wasn't something she would approve of. Beth knew it for sure. Hershel himself was quite reluctant about it at first but he was a wise men— he was aware of the fact that Beth was much more capable than what she appeared to be. And so he agreed to it without much hindrance.

"You not gonna tell her?" Hershel asked in a low voice as he got up from the cot in Beth's cell and walked towards her. She was now putting her boots on and decided to ignore her father's question. According to Beth, there was no point in debating about whether to tell Maggie or not. She knew that her sister cared about her but it wasn't Maggie's decision, and Beth was adamant about it.

Beth didn't want to lie but right now, debating with her father didn't seem plausible to her as she had more important things to focus on —the run, as a matter of fact. She wasn't nervous, not at all. It was her decision and she was exceedingly confident about it. After the farm, they all had been on the run continuously for months, not being able to find a secure and permanent place to settle in. That gave her quite the experience of what it was like to be out there and if she had survived then, she would survive now.

"Yes, I will. She must be awake by now and I will tell her before we leave." Beth lied even though she felt guilty about it and hugged her father. "And you daddy . . . you don't have to worry about anything. I'm a big girl and you gotta trust me." She pulled back and smiled at her father who nodded in return.

Hershel wasn't convinced, but still replied with a sigh. "Okay. . . Okay . . . I did allow you to go for the run but you're still my little girl. You'll always be." At this, Beth giggled softly and planted a kiss on her father's cheek who just silently prayed for the whole thing to go well.

They both then exited the cell and headed outside silently, not uttering anything to each other as they were both lost in their own thoughts—Beth thinking about how the day would go and Hershel about how to be positive about the entire thing.

The sun was blazing right up above them when they got outside, with the birds chirping around with their melodic noises and the smell of summer sank into Beth's senses. It made her miss the previous life she had, the life before the world went to shit and how she loved it.

Beth loved summer, she always did. She loved the way summer smelled, the warm feeling against her skin, the chirping of birds and the adorable summer dresses she could wear. But above all, she missed swimming. Not that she didn't get the chance to swim after the turn, as the group frequently stumbled upon small water resources to bathe and wash themselves before they found the prison, but it wasn't like it used to be, with everyone having to keep their guard up—looking for walkers or anything alive. It wasn't fun anymore; it was just ' _surviving'_ now.

Beth shrugged her overwhelming thoughts and asked her father who was still standing beside her, his eyes searching for something she couldn't quite get herself.

"Did you tell Rick?" she asked quietly.

"Yes. He seemed to be fine with you going with Daryl." Hershel replied, as they both walked up to the courtyard, his eyes still looking for someone or something.

It was early in the morning but most of the people in the prison were already awake by now and was working on their respective duties. Some of them were having their breakfast which was being prepared by Carol and Beth's stomach grumbled at the smell of the pancakes arising from the stove.

Carol smiled at them, as they came up to her and sat on the chairs laid out there. "Good Morning Hershel. Good morning Beth." She greeted and handed out two plates of pancakes to them.

"Good Morning." Hershel smiled back as he took the plate from Carol. Beth grabbed her own and looked at the pancakes—surely it looked delicious even with a small amount of maple syrup, not that she could complain but was extremely glad that they were still able to have pancakes even after the end had ended.

She eagerly dug into her breakfast and the way the smell had indicated, the pancakes tasted delicious. "Mmm . . . it's nice" Beth mumbled as she took a bite and Hershel nodded to her in agreement.

"Thanks Beth." Carol replied as she continued to make more of the pancakes for the other people who were waiting around the counter.

She was sweet today, not that she was bitter or anything before but after yesterday's ordeal Beth was expecting her to be a little sour with her. Good that she wasn't.

"Have you seen Daryl? Hershel asked Carol who glanced over them, turning the pancakes on the pan and replied. "Yeah, he was helping out there with the cars . . . getting ready for the run." Hershel didn't reply anything and resumed to eat his breakfast in silence while Carol kept working on her pancakes.

At the mention of Daryl's name, Beth's eyes straightened up realizing that he wasn't in sight since the morning. Now she understood that it was Daryl who her father was searching for. She discreetly looked around trying to spot him but he wasn't anywhere within her sight. She frowned.

Sighing, she got up and placed her empty plates on the counter. "Ok dad, I'm going to find Maggie." She lied, wiping her hand on a cloth placed on the counter.

"I hope that it goes well." Hershel responded with a smile.

She hated lying to her father but a little lie didn't hurt anyone, and the least thing she wanted now was a heated confrontation with her sister, right before she left.

Thankfully Maggie wasn't anywhere around and Beth guessed that she was probably not awake, being on guard duty last night and made her way towards the gate where the car for the run was parked.

She saw Sasha and Tyreese loading the car with guns and ammunition, and Bob was checking out the engine looking for any malfunction. She also noticed that Rick was standing there with Judith in his arm and she eagerly went and took her from his arms. "Hey there. Lil' ass kicker" she greeted with a babyish voice.

The baby cooed as she was passed to Beth's arm, clearly happy to be there. Beth loved Judith and had been like a mother to her since the day she was born. There was an undeniable connection between the two of them and everyone considered it to be something truly and utterly beautiful.

"You ready for today?" Rick asked as he smiled at the heart-warming bond that Beth and Judith shared.

He had been worried when Hershel first informed him that Beth was willing to go for the run today. No matter what, Beth was still a kid, just a few years older than Carl and Rick would never be comfortable will the idea of his son or Beth going out for dangerous missions. But he was convinced when Hershel put forward his reasons and he had always respected his decisions knowing that the man had always been right.

"Yes. I think I am." Beth replied bouncing Judith in her arms, not looking at Rick as her eyes were fixed on the happy baby.

Rick looked at her. She clearly looked older than the farm, her features sharpening over the past months and her hair was longer than what it used to be. She was really maturing and in spite of everything, she looked beautiful. Rick shrugged off his thoughts reminding himself of how inappropriate it was to think about Beth like that.

"Good." Rick muttered and with that Daryl came from behind and joined the three of them.

He was wearing his angel winged vest and his crossbow was slung on the shoulder. Beth stared at him—he definitely looked rugged but that made him more attractive than the others. Focus Beth. Focus on the mission and not Daryl. Beth scolded herself.

Daryl came closer and handed a gun to Beth without saying anything even though he knew that she had her knife, but guns were really a necessity while going on runs and it could defend better in arduous situations.

"Thank you." She replied looking at him.

Daryl just nodded and Beth frowned at his response. Beth liked to talk; she wasn't chatty to be precise but expects to get a proper response. And she disliked how little Daryl actually spoke apart from his few grunts and swear words.

"Everything's ready?" Daryl asked Rick in his gruff voice, scanning the car which was almost fixed and ready to go.

"Yeah almost. Just waiting for Michonne." Rick replied.

"Where is she?" Beth asked, her eyes fluttering from the bright sun rays as she held her palm above her eyes and carried Judith with the free arm.

"She was with Carl this morning." Rick informed as he looked around. "She will be here in a minute."

After a minute or so, Michonne appeared with Hershel by her side and walked up to them. "Hey, I'm sorry . . . Carl needed help with something and so I had to volunteer." Michonne grinned, earning a smirk from Rick who was quite content at the growing friendship between Carl and Michonne.

"Alright, let's go." Tyreese announced as he got in the driver's seat, and Sasha followed behind him and settled herself into the passenger's seat. Bob got in the backseat and was followed by Michonne.

"Is Glenn not coming?" Michonne asked while putting the windows down.

Rick was the one to answer in response. "He was keeping guard last night with Maggie . . . so took a day off, I guess." He then took Judith from Beth which prompted the infant to give a faint cry, clearly disappointed at the separation. "And . . . Beth is covering up for him." He completed, causing Beth to smile timidly at the apparent words of encouragement.

"Beth, take care and stick to Daryl" Hershel came forward and hugged his daughter. He tried not to look nervous but it was obvious enough for everyone to notice it.

Beth nodded as she assured her father. "Okay dad, I'll keep that in mind."

At that moment Daryl came up riding his motorcyle and stopped infront of them, interrupting the father-daughter moment.

"You comin' with me?" he asked sluggishly and waited for Beth to answer.

"In your bike?" Beth asked eyeing the bike, causing Daryl to narrow his eyes a little. She was quite surprised, to be honest; Daryl rarely ever asked anyone to ride with him unless it was too urgent and she totally thought that he would make her go in the car with the others.

"Yaa, what else does it looks like?" he grunted, with his tone sarcastic rather than coarse.

Rick and Hershel both snickered at the words but Beth ignored them and climbed on the backseat of the motorcycle. "Alright, I'm coming with you" she mumbled and saw Rick pass Judith to Hershel as he strode towards the gates to open them.

"Bye." Beth waved to her father and Judith as Daryl sped away from their home passing through the gates and watched Rick close it immediately.

A few walkers frantically followed them but Daryl had already increased the speed and Beth closed her eyes, feeling the fresh humid air against her skin and the contented feeling in her chest.

* * *

"Where are we going?" Beth asked, adjusting her sitting position. The seat of the motorcycle wasn't really that comfortable but good enough to be seated for two or three hours without hurting her ass. They had been on the road for more than thirty minutes and were behind Sasha, Tyreese, Bob and Michonne who were in the car infront them.

 _Two or three hours. Or maybe less._ Beth thought.

"Just a few hours north until we find somethin." Daryl muttered, his voice almost inaudible from the gushing wind.

It had been a long time since he had last rode with a female companion, with Maggie being the one when she accompanied him to find baby supplies for the newly born Judith and his mind automatically drifted to his life before the turn.

One thing he knew better than anything else was—that he loved to ride. He rode with Merle everywhere; wherever Merle told him to and had never complained about it because he loved it. He was wild and free, and nothing could stop him to explore the life he had. And neither could now.

"What are we looking for? Beth asked again causing Daryl to frown.

He hated to speak, unless it was something important and talking to Beth was really awkward for him as he had never been good with words, especially with girls. And the least Daryl wanted now was to have a heated argument with her in the middle of the road for his poor choice of words.

"Food, clothes, blankets . . . anything useful" he replied flatly.

"Okay" Beth whispered and decided not to speak anything else unless he does. She was quite fed up of his eccentric behaviour and how he avoided talking with her. Yes, Daryl was introverted but she had seen him having conversation with the others. It was only her that he avoided so much.

The rest of the journey was covered in silence with no one speaking a word. After hitting the road for nearly two hours, they reached a gas station with a departmental store by its side and parked their vehicles at the entrance. Everything was silent with just three walkers lingering around, and Daryl and Sasha were quick to put them down.

All of them scooted over to the main entrance of the store, clutching the guns tightly in their hands and waited for Daryl to give the instructions."Michonne and I will go the first, then Sasha, Bob and Beth will follow . . . and Tyreese will keep watch from behind." Daryl laid out the plan and everyone nodded.

Beth had very rarely used guns but she wasn't exactly new to it. She had killed a few walkers at the fence, which was relatively protected but never one in the open. During the initial days of the apocalypse, she had been absolutely terrified by them but now it was something she saw on a daily basic and the terrified feeling was long gone by now. And now, just the thought of losing someone from her family- to the walkers, terrified the shit out of her.

". . . and Beth, don't fire your gun unless you really need to."

"I know." Beth replied with a shrug.

Daryl opened the main door of the store which was already unlocked and whistled. A walker came out sprinting towards them and Daryl shot a bolt from his crossbow right into its skull.

"Just one" he announced holding his crossbow out. He waited for a few seconds before nodding at Michonne, indicating them to proceed inside. They looked around, to spot any walkers but there were none.

"All clear." Michonne muttered to the others who were right behind them and they all followed in.

When all of them were inside, they took out their knives and laid down their guns. Beth immediately hurried over to Daryl, not feeling safe with the others and asked. "What now?"

"Take anything that you think might be useful." Sasha replied and went over to the first aisle opening her bag.

"Don't wander off and stick to me." Daryl leaned in and whispered into Beth's ears with a hint of authority in his voice.

Beth had promised her father that she would stick to Daryl but that didn't mean that he was her baby sitter. She was mature enough to take care of herself and he wasn't anyone to order her around like that. "Whatever" she muttered in her breath as she proceeded towards the second aisle.

Daryl glared at her but refrained to answer back. _Damn stubborn kid._

He followed Beth and stopped beside her. Most of the things were gone but a few remained and Beth started to fill the bag with anything edible she found. Meanwhile Daryl reached out for the items in the top shelves which Beth couldn't reach and shoved it inside the bag she was holding.

...

After loading everything in the car, Beth and Daryl went inside to take a final look and check out the basement if there was anything useful or handy. Sasha, Michonne and Bob were inside the car and Tyreese was leaning on the doorframe of the main entrance, waiting for Daryl and Beth.

"Basements scare the shit out of me." Beth stated while she followed Daryl who was quietly leading them down the steps of the basement. He glanced at Beth with a questioned look to which she simply reply. "It always did. Nothing new."

He creaked open the door of the basement of and there was it— a room full of walkers. His muscles clenched and a gush of adrenaline ran over him.

"Go back! Go back!" Daryl screamed as he tried to close the door but there were too many inside who pushed him and made their way out.

Beth climbed up the stairs hastily and Daryl took out his gun as his crossbow couldn't keep up with so many walkers and fired at those which were too close. They came up to the ground floor but the walkers too made it out. Daryl and Beth ran, stopping in between to shoot but two of the bodies of the walkers fell on the shelves which made it fall to the ground blocking their way to get outside.

"We must find another way." Beth shrieked and Daryl nodded as they tried to search for the back door.

Michonne and the others got alerted when they heard the gunshots. Both Michonne and Bob got out of the car while Sasha remained at the driver's seat. They were ready to barge in but Tyreese interrupted. "No, wait. I'll go inside . . . you guys stay here and start the car . . . as soon as I bring them back, we leave." And with that Tyreese went inside taking out his gun while Sasha started up the car and Bob got in the passenger seat while Michonne remained outside looking out for any walkers.

When Tyreese got inside, he could see walkers trying to climb up and seep through the flipped over selves. He shot a few rounds while searching for them but they were nowhere in sight. His eyes then caught hold of the back door which was wide open and heard Daryl's voice outside it. "This way Beth!" But before he could follow them, Sasha's screams pierced through. "Walkers! A lot of them!"

Tyreese retracted and exited the store running over to the car. The car's engine was on and Bob was firing at the walkers who were flooding in from every direction. "Come on!" Bob shouted over to Tyreese and covered him up while he and Michonne hurried into the car.

"Where's Beth and Daryl?" Sasha asked Tyreese as he hoped in and shut the door.

"They escaped through the back door."

"What shall we do? Bob asked as he shot a walker who was pounding at the window.

"They probably ran into the woods. There's no way for them to make it this way." Tyreese informed, knowing it was impossible for them to take such a big turn and make it to the front side. The woods were the best shot they had and he knew that Daryl will choose it too.

"So we leave?" Sasha asked, stunned.

"Yeah, we will come back for them. But right now we gotta leave!" Michonne exclaimed and Sasha nodded as she started up the engine and sped off crushing some of the walkers on their way.

* * *

Beth and Daryl had been running for almost thirty minutes now. They tried to make it to front of the store but walkers came from everywhere, leaving them no option other than to run into the woods. They both slowed down and eventually stopped to catch their breath. "I think we've lost them." Beth said panting.

"Dunno." Daryl muttered as he sat down on the ground, panting and trying to hold on his breath. Beth came and sat down near him, hugging her legs. "What do we do now?" she asked in a soft voice. She was scared but didn't want Daryl to notice it and so tried to appear bold.

"We try to find our way back and if we don't, we camp tonigh'. Maybe tomorrow the others will come and find us" Daryl replied while studying the trail from which they came.

Beth simply nodded. Sure it was terrifying enough to be comfortable with the idea of spending the night in the woods but being with Daryl—that seemed easy and safe. It was a matter of one night and they could easily manage to survive it, having spent numerous days without any shelter after the farm. And moreover it was with _Daryl_ _—_ and she knew it well that he would do his best to protect her.

"Do you think the others made it out?" Beth asked, even though she already knew the answer, given that they were already in the car with enough ammunition when the herd appeared.

"Yeah, pretty much." Daryl's reply was confident.

Just a few hours of daylight were left and they needed a safe place to set up a camp before it got darker. Daryl stood up and reached out for his crossbow, motioning Beth to get ready. "We gotta find somethin' before we lose the sunlight." He informed Beth, who tucked out her knife from the sheath and got up. "I'm ready." She exhaled.

* * *

"It's goin' to rain" Daryl muttered as he and Beth made their way through the woods, searching for a place to camp for the night. The sun had set down and a mild breeze was blowing along with some occasional thunders implying that it could rain any moment by now.

"I think it's safe enough here.'' Beth said, poring over the area.

Daryl grunted. "Nah. I can hear walkers moanin' in the distant." Beth tried to locate the sound, but it was faint enough to be only heard by someone who focused deeply.

And then, it started to rain, at first a slight drizzle, then turning into a heavy shower.

"Come this way!" Daryl exclaimed as he held Beth's wrist and dragged her towards the shed of a large tree. It didn't save them from the rain entirely but kept them from drenching in it which was a lot for them for the moment.

They stood close by and their arms occasionally brushed against each other sending a gentle shiver up to Beth's spine and she scolded herself for fetching such impulses in such situations. Daryl was also fully aware of the contact but right now his priority was to get themselves to safely and his shrugged off that sensation from his mind.

"Walkers!" Daryl gasped as he heard the distant moans nearing them. "We need to get out of here!"

They fled the spot and ran in the opposite direction, away from walkers, running as fast as they could, totally drenching in the rain which was least of their concern now and, out of nowhere, they saw a beam of light. A pale beam of light but it was there— seeping through the trees and reaching out to them.

They stopped and for a moment Daryl thought that he was just hallucinating until Beth confirmed. "Daryl! Look there's someone out there!"

"I see it" Daryl replied and they both rushed towards the direction of the light, not stopping for a moment. When they got nearer to the source of the light they saw it that it was a cabin. _A little cabin in the middle of the woods._ A little unrealistic but better than nothing.

They hurried towards the cabin and started knocking heavily. "Open the door!"

They could hear low murmurs from inside and obviously there was light which implied that there were people inside. After sometime, a voice from inside pierced faintly through the door. "What do you want?"

"Let us in." Daryl replied, his voice softer than the usual. Also, Beth joined and pleaded. "Please let us in. We mean no harm."

The rain was still heaving pounding but the walkers were nearly gone, their snarls going off in different directions and after a minute or so the door clicked open. Both Daryl and Beth sighed in relief and hastily entered the cabin only to find two guns being pointed at them.

"Drop your weapons."

* * *

 **I hope that you liked the chapter. For anyone's who is wondering if there will be any smut or not, there will be plenty of it but will have to wait for a few more chapters as their relationship is just building now. And this is going to be a long story with many chapters so I'm trying to build up more excitement before the initial romance. And also Rick might have a thing for Beth. How about that? ;) Lastly, please try to take out a moment to review the story. Thanks.**


	6. The First Kiss

Amateurs.

They were clearly amateurs— the way they shakily held their guns, the way they've put on such a bright source of light that could attract both the living and the dead from a distant and the fact that they hadn't barricaded the cabin, altogether suggested that these people didn't possess the basic knowledge of the apocalyptic world.

"Drop your weapons."

Those words came along with two guns being point at Daryl's and Beth's face, held by two guys who appeared to be of the same age as Beth. In the middle, a few steps back there was a girl who tightly clutched a pocket knife in her hands. She also seemed to share the same age as her fellow companions and the look on her face visibly implied that she was frightened to the utmost. They all were.

It was a small cabin with just a hall and attached kitchen, and door leading to what might be bedroom. The hall had a couch in the centre and there were empty cans scattered all over the place. A few candles were lying here and there and two sleeping bags were placed at the corner. There was a stove in the kitchen with a kettle over it and alongside there were a few canned jars still unopened.

By the looks of it, these people had been staying here for a while and were well stocked. But still for some reason they were awfully terrified.

Daryl studied them for a moment— surely they looked like amateurs, but they were scared. They were pointing their guns and any reckless action would lead them to pull the trigger in panic and that certainly would not be a good way to go after surviving through so much.

Beth's heart was rapidly beating in her chest as they all remained silent and she shot a peek at Daryl who in return nodded at her and lowered his crossbow, instructing her to do the same.

"Okay." She whispered as she laid down her knife on the wooden floor and took out the gun from the holster and reluctantly placed it on the floor beside her knife.

"R'we good now?" Daryl raised his hands up in surrender and so did Beth.

The guns were still being pointed at them but one of the guys came a tad forward.

"Wh . . . at do you want?" His voice was shaky and clearly displayed that he was petrified. The other two remained still in their position and fixed their gazes on the scene unfolding in front of them.

Daryl was about to reply but Beth voice cut him midway. "We lost our way back to our camp."

Her voice came out soft and gentle, like the way it always have been, and Daryl hoped that it would calm down the teenagers who seemed to be scared out of their wits.

And so it did. "You guys have a camp?" The girl in the middle was surprised and shot a hopeful glance at her mates who had now partially lowered their guns but not entirely.

"Yea." Daryl muttered, unfazed by the abrupt exhilaration.

The girl was noticeably contented with the answer and came closer to her companions. "Did you hear that? They have a camp!"

The other two were also stunned but their faces still held back some reluctance. "How do we know that they're telling the truth?" One of them whispered to the girl but it was audible enough for everyone to hear it.

Both Daryl and Beth were able to hear that and threw confused gazes at each other, hesitant to do anything that could put their safety into jeopardy. And by the look on the archer's face, Beth could make it out that he was getting quite impatient and could lash out any moment by now.

"Calm down." She squeezed his hand earning a weak glare from the archer.

They could see that the two of them were now debating something among themselves in whispers at the corner of the cabin while one of guys stood in his previous position; his hand still clutched to his gun which wasn't pointed at them anymore.

After finishing their conversation, they both retracted back and the girl gave a warm smile, "Hi, I'm Hazel, and this Jerome" she pointed to the one she had been talking with and then addressed to the third one with the gun, "and this is Justin."

"Beth." She smiled back while stating her name. "And this is Daryl." She referred to the archer knowing that he wouldn't ever indulge in an introduction with some strangers. He looked quite irritated by the formalities of normal human encounter and his mind kept reloving around how unsafe and exposed the cabin was, and the ways to secure it for the night.

"This place ain't safe 'nough." He stated and went to the windows to peek through it while slightly pushing the curtains aside. "Need t'put down th' lights."

As soon as those words were out from Daryl's lips, Jerome instantly blew off the candles and the room immediately became dimer with the only source of light remaining now was from the solar lantern.

"Do you really have a camp?" Jerome asked quietly in a hoarse voice.

"Yea." Daryl pulled back the curtain and walked up to join he others. He was suspicious of these people but was fairly convinced that they were harmless but still went to pick up his crossbow from the floor.

"Where are you guys from?" Beth asked, trying to gather more from them so that Daryl could get a better insight about these new people.

"Atlanta." Hazel replied. "We were in a refugee camp before and then it got overrun. Since then it's just the three of us surviving together, _somehow_." Her voice was gloomy and Beth's mind wandered to the farm— the situation being kind of familiar and the feeling being the same when she had to leave her home on that fateful night.

"Hmmm." Beth nodded and went to retrieve her weapons from the floor. She tucked them back and went up to Daryl who was looking at these people, studying them if they were a threat or not.

"I think we should take them in." she suggested. It was true that people couldn't be trusted nowadays, but Beth always tried to see the good in people. No matter how inhuman the world has turned, her goodness and optimism never faltered.

Darly just shook his head in dissaproval. "We kno' nothin' 'bout 'em." Even though he was quite sure that bringing them back to the prison won't be good idea, his humanity failed to agree with it.

"Can you take us in?" Jerome asked, his eyes full of hope and so were Hazel's and Justin's. They all looked at Daryl with beaming eyes, completely aware that he was the man in charge and his decision would be final.

Daryl didn't say anything and looked at Beth to get her approval. She simply nodded while being completely amazed that Daryl had asked for her opinion.

It was surprising to Daryl— the fact that these three had made it this far with their amateur surviving skills. Maybe their luck had favoured them but it won't for long. He pondered whether to bring them to the prison or not. They were just kids after all; afraid as hell but he had no idea what kind of people they were, and nowadays people were more dangerous than the dead.

However, he wasn't the kind of person to leave some naïve kids alone to fend for themselves even after knowing that they won't make it on their own.

Deciding to give them a chance he dropped in the three questions.

"How many walkers 've y'll killed?" Daryl fixed his eyes on the three of them, studying their slightest reaction and making out if they are trying to deceive him.

All of them were confused and looked at each other and at Beth who simply gestured them to reply to the question.

"Many." Jerome replied.

"How many people 've ya killed?" Daryl continued.

"None, yet." Jerome replied looking visibly uncomfortable and the same was with Hazel but Justin was unfazed and seemed to blankly stare at the floor, which Daryl was fast to notice.

"Why?"

Jerome just shrugged. "Never came to that point."

Daryl was satisfied with the answers but his suspicion hovered over Justin who acted quite inexplicably on the mention of the second question but still decided to give them a chance. "Alrigh', but better be up to no shits." his voice was calm but still contained severity.

Everyone along with Beth breathed out in relief. The three of them thanked him and Beth as they quietly celebrated amongst themselves. Daryl heeded no attention to them and once again went to the window and looked outside, checking the rain which had now slowed down to a slight drizzle.

Beth walked up to him to the window and watched him as he stared into the darkness. "You're sure about them?"

Daryl averted his gaze from the window and looked down at Beth whose height reached his shoulders, "Not sure but can't leave 'em alone." He said. "Ain't gonna last more than a week on their own."

Beth's heart flushed with warmth after hearing that. No matter how hard headed he appeared to be on the outside, from the inside he was indeed a good person with a big heart.

She agreed with a smile but remained quiet as they both stood there and gazed outside at the vast black forest, and the only sound that lingered around them was that of the rain and their soft raspy breaths.

* * *

Back at the prison when Michonne and the others unfolded the events at the store, Maggie immediately sprang up to go and search for her sister.

When Hershel came to inform her, she was already furious about Beth going on the run without her knowledge, and now the news of her sister— chased into the woods by walkers didn't do any good. She had literally gone berserk.

Hershel himself was regretting his decision of letting Beth go on the run, but tried his best to calm his eldest daughter down. The only thing that was providing him the tiniest bit of comfort was that fact that Daryl was with her. He was almost sure that the archer would bring his daughter alive and the rest he left upto God and his prayers.

Even Glenn and Rick had a hard time in convincing Maggie to not go barging into the forest, since they already lost the daylight but promised her that they will set out to look for them at the earliest by dawn.

She wasn't fully convinced, and was only somewhat comforted after being repeatedly assured by the others that Daryl was capable enough to bring her sister alive.

"You know she is safe." Glenn came and draped his arm around his wife.

Maggie didn't reply anything. She was fuming with anger but remained silent. At the moment she couldn't think of anything but her sister and her stupidity that led to the present consequences. But the anger was just a daft excuse to conceal her panic that was arising from the thoughts of her baby sister out in the woods— exposed to the countless threats.

Getting no response from Maggie, Glenn withdrew his arm and cupped her face gently. "You know she is with Daryl. He will keep her safe."

There was still no reply from Maggie who avoided her husband's eyes and stared at the concrete floor. She couldn't let him see her being this vulnerable— vulnerable from the thought of losing her sister and how she would never be able to forgive herself for it.

Glenn could see the distress in his wife. He had always seen her as a bold woman but never the way she was now— afraid and filled with guilt. Without moving and still cupping her face he tried to comfort her, not with action but with words. "You trust Daryl, don't you?"

Maggie nodded her head in agreement, but continued to stare at the floor.

"And you trust Beth?"

At this, Maggie's eyes shot up and locked with her husband's. She was at the verge of crying but held back the tears that were battling to come out. "Yeah, I do" she replied meekly.

"So keep your faith and she will be back in no time." He smiled and wrapped his arms around Maggie and pulled her into a hug.

"Of course." She mumbled, snuggling closer into her husband's arms and drowning into the soothing embrace that calmed her scuffling thoughts about her sister.

* * *

Back at the cabin, Beth had fairly warmed up to the three folks, and Daryl being Daryl, had maintained his distance and refrained from talking much except. Most of the talking was done by Beth who had managed to derive much of the trio's backstory.

Hazel and Jerome were a couple who met Justin at the refugee camp they had been staying. At first he was a stranger, but when the camp got overrun a few weeks ago, the three of them escaped together and found the cabin. Luckily they had been able to grab a few canned goods from the refugee centre amid the chaos and since then they were surviving on them with no idea whatsoever to do once they run out of it.

In the meantime, Beth informed them that they needed to secure the perimeter and cover the windows with planks once the rain stoppe.

It was clear that the three had absolutely no idea about the basics of the apocalyptic world having lived in a huge refugee centre since the beginning. Daryl took upon him to explain the necessity of securing the area and told them it was better to be prepared, rather than being exposed.

"You must be feeling cold in those clothes?" Hazel asked a squirming Beth who sat huddled up in the couch along with Daryl. The others settled themselves in the sleeping bags with Hazel and Jerome being in one and Justin in the other.

"Nah, it's okay."

Hazel threw an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry I don't have any other to lend."

"Don't be." Beth smiled back. Yes, she was uncomfortable but after all the shits they had been through, wet clothes were the least of her concern. In this new world, they've all accustomed to these things and now there was no going back to luxuries that prevailed in the previous world.

"I'll make you some tea." Hazel stood up from her sleeping back and strolled towards the kitchen. She took out a bottle of water from the upper shelve, poured it in the kettle and lit the stove. She worked in silence as she pulled out some tea bags from the cabinet, tore it open and dropped the leaves in the kettle, and then let it shimmer.

"You ok?" Daryl asked Beth in his usual low voice. He could see that the coldness from her wet clothes was bothering her. There wasn't much to do so he just removed his vest and offered it to her. "Take it."

Beth was glad but refused it at an instant. "No, it's okay. I'm good." She returned it back but met with his stubborn gaze. "Take it." His voice had a demanding tone in it, to which she couldn't deny so she quietly put on the vest without another word.

"Tea's ready." Hazel announced as she passed both Daryl and Beth a cup of tea each. She then went and took her earlier spot beside her boyfriend in the sleeping bag.

"Thanks." Beth muttered taking a sip from the cup.

"Always a pleasure."

The rain had almost stopped by now but the sky still had a red tinge to it implying that it might rain again. Outside the cabin, Daryl was preparing the cans with barbed wire to secure the cabin while Beth and the others inside were covering the windows with the wooden planks they had acquired from the attic.

Daryl wasn't very keen to the idea of leaving Beth alone with the strangers. even if it were for a few minutes but Beth insisted that she would be fine so Daryl let her without much argument.

"Seems good." Beth said as she examined the covered windows, being quite satisfied with the work.

"We've been staying here since a couple of weeks. Never needed all of these." Justin pointed to the windows.

Jerome elbowed him to knock it off but Beth was quick to notice it.

"Your luck won't help you everytime." She simply uttered without any bite to her tone.

"I'll go and check outside." She excused herself and strode out of the cabin to find Daryl. He was almost done with the work and was checking out for any weak spots when Beth walked in.

"Done inside?" he asked without turning back. He found it weird how he came to recognize that it was Beth just from her footsteps.

"Yeah. Just came to check on you."

Daryl chucked. "M'ok girl. Go n'get some rest, I'll take a stroll n'see if I might catch anythin'."

Beth's heart almost flinched. She might have insisted that she would be okay with these people but that was just because she knew that Daryl would be just outside. And now he wanted to go on a stroll and hunt. Her face had been one of disapproval but she managed to reply with a smile. "Kay, see ya."

When Beth returned to the cabin, Hazel came out from the other room and hurriedly walked up to Beth. "Hey I found a tee in my pack. Thought that I lost it but thankfully it was there."

Beth accepted the piece of clothing and thanked her. At that moment the door sprang open and Daryl entered hastily and slammed the door shut behind. "A herd's moving this way." He announced while trying to catch his breath.

Everybody was startled by the announcement. Jerome instantly walked up to Hazel and grabbed her arm while Justin took out his gun, ready to shoot at anything that made its way through the door.

Beth tossed the tee to the couch and strode to the window and peered outside through the exposed glass in between the planks. "Shall we leave?" she asked nervously.

The herd that Daryl had encountered during his little hunting trip was comparatively smaller than the other herds they had come across earlier. At first he considered to flee with the others but that would succumb the safety that the cabin provided, and it was pointless to think that the woods weren't filled with walkers.

"Nah, ain't tha' big of a herd." Daryl's voice was patient, yet his eyes carried a hint of fright. "Gotta be dead silent in 'ere." He replied.

Daryl's response managed to calm everyone down who breathed in relief after hearing that it was rather a small herd and there wasn't any need of leaving the cabin.

Even the idea of venturing into the forest at night didn't seem plausible to Beth, who had spent endless nights out exposed and unsheltered. But all those times she was surrounded by her family and not some amateurs who didn't even know to hold a gun properly.

"We need to put the lights down." Beth eyed at the solar lantern placed on the kitchen counter as she came back and joined the others.

Hazel nodded and turned it off rendering the entire room in darkness. The only source of light remaining now was that of the moon, which glided through the boarded windows and had dimly lit the insides of the cabin.

"What now?" Justin asked anxiously to no one in particular and sat down on the couch shakily.

Beth flashed a doubtful glance at him. He had been awfully silent the entire time since she and Daryl arrived at the cabin, except when he put forward his scepticism about the securing the cabin. Besides that he had also been creepily staring at her making her uneasy and continued to do so even after Beth shot him a murky glare.

"Ya guys go t'that room," Daryl pointed to the other room with the door, "nd remain quiet. If somethin' comes up, escape through the window."

The idea of leaving Daryl alone to fight with the dead didn't appeal to Beth. "What about you?" She asked.

"I'll stay 'er and keep watch."

"I'll stay with you." She insisted.

Daryl himself wasn't quite comfortable with the idea of leaving Beth with these people but still staying inside the room was a safer option. The windows there weren't boarded up unlike the halls, and in case of an emergency they could escape through it.

"Nah, ya stay wit' them." he refused without exaggerating.

"Nope. I'll stay here, with you." She simply protested and sat on the couch next to Justin in a stubborn way.

It was clear enough that arguing with Beth won't be fruitful so Daryl just shrugged. "Yea, do whatever y'want."

The tension between them was obvious and Jerome shot a puzzled look at Hazel, asking whether to leave or stay and convince Beth. She didn't reply anything and picked up one of the sleeping bags. "Okay, we're going inside." She held Jerome's hand and pulled him along with her as she ambled inside the other room.

After sometime Justin got up and picked up the other sleeping bag and joined his friends in the other room leaving Beth and Daryl alone with nothing but the shabby moonlight.

They didn't speak anything since their little squabble and remained to do so until Beth's ears caught hold of the moaning and growls in the distance. She could hear the herd nearing them and looked at Daryl who was standing near the door, guarding it. "I'm scared." She said meekly.

He was facing the door and on hearing her voice he turned around. He could see the look on her face that appeared bright from the moonlight. She was nervous yet she looked beautiful. The moonlight had pitched a dim blue-ish light over her face just like the other night in the prison and in that moment he couldn't just look away.

Normally he wouldn't care about such a thing but the tone of her voice made him weak. He walked up to the couch and sat beside her. "Don't be." He said in a hushed voice.

They were sitting just inches apart and an awkward silence crept in between them.

Beth knew how hard it was to get anything out of Daryl. He rarely spoke but that didn't mean that he was impassive. That particular moment she could feel fear and the terror rising up her throat, but what she could also feel was that being near this man made her feel safe, made her feel secure.

Daryl glanced sideways. He noticed that her eyes were fixed on him in an alluring way. Their eyes met and he could see the vigour in it, the vigour to fight and survive. And in that moment he realized that she was strong, no matter how everyone considered her as a feeble person. He just knew it.

Also it occurred strange to him how he simply looked into the depths of her blue eyes and came to that judgement.

"I know I'm safe with you." She said as their eyes remained intertwined.

Those words just made Daryl's heart skip a bit. It came with such intensity that Daryl found him at a loss of words. Maybe it was something about her eyes or maybe her voice that consumes him and makes him giddy inside but it was something he had never experienced with anyone before. The way those words sounded—simple yet sweet, made him realize that she indeed trusted him and he felt like a jerk to tell her stay with those people.

He was unable to reply and Beth took notice of how lost he was; lost in an ecstatic way of course. She could see how intently he was looking at her and how attractive he looked with that look on his face. It wasn't a perverted gaze or anything, but rather a warm and soothing one. She inched her body forward and sat closer to him.

"I'm gonna kiss you Daryl Dixon, if you don't say anything." She whispered with a smirk.

Their faces were just inches away and both could feel each other's breath brushinh through.

"Well . . ." he tried to speak but the next moment he _knew_ —Beth had lunged at his lips and in the heat of the moment, he couldn't stop him from kissing her back. It was a gentle one but full with desire and passion and neither of them had the will to end it. Daryl raised one of his hands and tenderly grabbed her face and devoured her sweet lips which caused Beth to let out a quiet chuckle. She then gently ran her fingers through his hair and intensified their pace in return as he continued kiss tenderly.

After what felt like an eternity, they managed to cut off from their embrace as they heard walkers passing by the cabin and pulled apart. They both sat awkwardly and were not able to speak anything. To cut short the awkwardness, Daryl bent down and picked up his crossbow from the floor. "Better be prepared." He whispered to Beth as he lousily aimed it to the door.

She couldn't hardly register anything he was saying as her heart was still racing from the kiss they had just shared. But still, she reached out for her gun and prepared herself for the probable danger that was lurking outside.

Even though Daryl's finger was on the trigger and eyes on the door, his mind was only rushing back to kiss he had just shared with Beth, and the way how right it felt.

On the other hand, Beth's insides fluttering with glee. Yes she had kissed a few guys before but there was something different about this kiss with Daryl. It wasn't lustful or reckless like some kind of teenage lust, but it was rather beautiful. It was tender and gentle and satisfying and nobody had ever made her feel this way—the way Daryl Dixon did and Beth couldn't help but feel somewhat grateful about the walkers chasing them into the woods on that particular day.

 **Hey guys, I hope that you liked the chapter. I was willing to introduce some new characters since a long time and I'm hoping that you'll like how their character develops in the upcoming chapters. Amd moreover, Beth is just eighteen and I thought that it might be lil fun to show her interactions with people of her age. And lastly, please take a moment to review. It means a lot!**


	7. What's Best For Us

The next morning, Beth was the one to wake up first. She took a moment to process her whereabout and the events of last night, before her eyes went to Daryl who was fast asleep on the couch, slumping against it, in a sitting position few inches away from her.

Her eyes were slurry as she rose up from her slumber and recalled the events of the night before. On remembering the last thing, her lips involuntarily twisted into a bright smile, which had been none other than the kiss she had shared with Daryl.

She peeked over at him. He was sleeping peacefully with his hair covering his forehead and some portion of his eyes. His crossbow was on the floor along his vest and his other weapons as well; all sited together with her own gun and knife.

There were no signs of Hazel and the others in the hall where she and Daryl had been sleeping and so she stood up and went to check the other room.

She creaked open the door slowly and peeked inside the room without entering it. Her eyes adjusted to the dim light of the room and found the three of them sleeping, with Hazel huddled against Jerome and Justin a little away from them.

Finding everything to be okay, Beth sighed in relief and closed the door. She returned to the hall and glanced at Daryl, who was still fast asleep. She couldn't help but notice, how for once the hunter looked peaceful and calm unlike his usual gruff appearance that he always portrayed.

Not wanting to wake him up, Beth went up to the windows and looked outside. It was just past dawn and the sun wasn't totally up, making the view drench in a bluish-grey tone, but still visible enough to go out for a stroll. There we no walkers, not one in her sight and a wave of relief flushed through her as she squinted her eyes to scan the outside through the boarded windows.

She was glad that the herd from the previous night had passed without causing much problem except some occasional bumping against the door. Other than that that, the night seemed to pass rather well, except the awkward closeness between her and the archer who was still fast asleep on the couch.

The room felt a bit suffocated with the close enclosure and Beth decided to grab some fresh morning air. She headed outside the cabin with her weapons tucked in well— just in case some lingering walkers stumbled by and she needed to defend herself.

The morning air was mild and refreshing as Beth had expected. She inhaled deeply, taking in the fresh air and for once she forgot about the foul and rotting smell that they've been so accustomed to these days. Even if it was just past dawn, she could hear the chirping of birds and after a while she could see the mild sun rays emerging through the canopy of the trees and striking her eyes.

Though the world had crumbled into shit, these certain things didn't falter to fill Beth with a sense of hope and enthusiasm—a feeling that there was still goodness amidst the worse.

And just when she thought that the world was still beautiful, her ears grasped the sound of an incoming growl from behind and soon she found herself to succumb beneath a walker who had lunged at her. It was a heavy one and Beth couldn't flip it over. She squirmed beneath it and grabbed its neck and yanked it up to keep its decaying teeth away from sinking into her flesh. There was no way that she could load her gun and use it, and went for the knife instead, as she held back the walker from taking a chunk out of her.

She desperately tried to reach for her knife as she extended one of her hands towards her belt and the other grabbing the walker's neck. But the weight of the walker was pinning her down. The growls and decaying smell from it increased as she tried her best to get a hold of her knife. After a moment of futile attempts, she thougt that this was the end as the walker was trying it's best to take a bit of her. Just then, she heard the flick of an arrow and the next thing she knew was the walker's body going limp as blood splattered from the skull where the bolt had made its impact.

She glanced over and saw Daryl standing outside the door with his crossbow in his hand, with a look the implied that he was not amused.

He sauntered forward and pulled out the arrow from the walker's skull and snapped. "Wha'd hell wer' ya thinkin'?" His voice was low but still it sounded like snapping.

Beth squirmed beneath the body as she tried to get rid of it but it was still heavy and pinning her down. Daryl saw this but didn't help her. He was literally pissed off, pissed off that she almost got killed by recklessly wandering outside alone. And right now, he couldn't exactly care about her being trapped under the damn walker body when all he could think about is what would have happened if he hadn't arrived on time and the walker's teeth sinking into her throat.

"Nothing in particular." Beth replied as she finally flipped over the heavy body and gathered herself up from the ground.

Daryl ignored her answer and slung his crossbow over the shoulder and went to the side of the cabin to relief himself. Beth checked herself for any scratch or any injury but there weren't except some light bruises. Her eyes flew towards Daryl who was reliving himself behind the cabin and on seeing that she looked away. She knew Daryl was angry and guessed it was better to not say anything further that would make him snap again.

"N'when d'fuck will ya stop wanderin' 'round like som' dumb bitch!" Daryl almost exploded as he pulled up his zip and moved towards Beth.

His sudden outburst took her by surprise and she saw him approaching. "Nothing happened." She replied quietly, ignoring that he had just called her bitch.

Daryl rolled his eyes in a dramatic way and stood infront of her. "O'yeah, nothin' happnened…" he paused for a moment. "D'damn walker almost sank its teeth in yer neck!" He snapped, yet again.

"Bu…" Beth tried to reply something but Daryl's voice didn't let her finish. "What'm gonna tell yer dad, huh!" he was practically yelling and Beth hoped that it didn't attract any walkers as she controlled herself to not yell back.

Little did Beth know that this outburst wasn't just for her wandering recklessly but due to the fact that Daryl was terrified. He was terrified of losing her; not that she was his or anything but he couldn't just imagine her _GONE._ There was something about Beth Greene that created a little warmth inside him and after their kiss the previous night, that warmth tended to increase more.

Beth tried to speak but nothing came out. She wasn't prepared for this. It was valid for Daryl to get mad but this was too much for her. Nobody had ever yelled at her the way Daryl did, but again, it was Daryl and it was expected from him.

It wasn't her fault that she got attacked, when all she did was go out and have some peace of mind. Her eyes swelled up, even though she fought them back. Daryl saw this, but it wasn't enough to soften him.

"Yo. . .u . . .you're mean." She sniveled as she found tears streaming down her face and stomped right away inside the cabin.

Daryl didn't say anything. He needed to calm down and subside his anger for a while. He had been exactly right when he thought he didn't go well with girls like Beth, given the current scenario where he made her cry. Even though he did feel a little guilty about it, there was no question of going after her and pamper. She had to toughen up and learn to face the ugly things in this new world or she wouldn't just survive.

Once inside, Beth found the others to be awake and Hazel was making tea in the kitchen. Surely they had heard the commotion outside and now could see Beth's puffed eyes from crying but nobody wanted to intrude in their personal matter. So everyone just went on with their own business.

Jerome noticed that Beth was upset and tried to cheer her up. "Hey Beth. Good Morning!" he greeted with a brilliant smile.

Beth forced a smile back as she went to the kitchen and stood near the counter beside Hazel. "Good Morning." She replied lousily.

Hazel was pouring the tea into the cups when her eyes caught hold of the walker blood that was smeared on Beth's top. "What the hell happened!" she flinched back a little in surprise, motioning at Beth's tank top.

Beth looked down and scrunched her face. Walker blood was something they had all gotten used to these days but still, it wasn't something to get comfortable with.

"A walker lunged at me and pinned me down." She replied and went to grab the top from the couch, which Hazel had offered her last night. "Daryl took care of it." She completed and went inside the other room to change into the fresh piece of clothing without waiting for Hazel's reply.

...

After breakfast, which had been nothing but tea and some crackers, everyone packed up and got ready to get back to the prison. Daryl who had joined them sometime before breakfast, was now calm but still made no attempts of reconciling with Beth.

"So first we gon' head back t'the store n'get mah bike." He explained and everyone nodded. "Then we try t'fix one'a the cars n'if it doesn't…" he looked at Beth for a moment and continued, "Beth 'an I'll go back n'bring the others to get'ya back."

At this Justin instantly shot up who had been silent since the entire morning. "So you're just gonna leave us, _alone_?"

"You got a better idea, kid?" Daryl stepped a foot up infront of him. Justin glared at him but backed off, seeing the seriousness in Daryl's face.

Beth looked at Hazel and Jerome. They both didn't seem amused by the plan but there was no other way around it. The prison was too far from there and covering it by foot would a take substantial amount of time, and Daryl would never leave her with the three of them while going to bring the others.

"There's no way other than this." Beth turned towards Hazel and Jerome, not minding to reply Justin's question. "You gonna trust us okay? We'll come back for you guys." Her voice was reassuring and Hazel looked at Jerome for his answer.

"Alright." Jerome exhaled, to which Beth offered a humble smile.

"My sister and the others are probably gonna come looking for us. So just hope that they're already there." Beth said and fixed her backpack on her shoulder.

Daryl heard her words and wondered how she made everything sound so convincing and positive. He stared at her and when she caught him, he quickly averted his eyes. "Alrigh' let's keep movin'" he said quietly and he secured his crossbow on his shoulder.

They all excited the cabin and made their way through the woods with Daryl leading them and Beth following closely behind him. Hazel and Jerome were behind Beth and Justin was the last one behind who tagged along clumsily. All of them walked in silence, the only sound prevailing was that of the cracking of twigs beneath the boots and the occasional grunts caused from stumbling.

Daryl suddenly stopped in the middle of the track and raised his hand to motion the others to remain silent as he tried to focus his hearing on something.

Beth planted her gaze on him as the others looked at each other—confused at what was happening.

Daryl's eyes widened when he realized what was coming on their way. _Walkers_.

He gathered his crossbow from his shoulder and turned back to the others. "Hide." He instructed them and pointed to the tree trunk that had fallen a few yards away from where they were. "Just a few of 'em but betta not t'risk anythin'."

Nobody said anything but nodded in unison.

"And no gunshots." He warned them knowing that one gunshot would attract all the nearby walkers and they'll be done for good.

All of them scooted over to the trunk except Daryl. Beth was halfway there but on realising that he wasn't coming with them, she stopped. "You guys go. I'm coming." She told the others and scurried towards Daryl.

When he heard footsteps, he titled his head and saw Beth. "Told'ya t'go back n'hide."

"Guess, I'm staying with you." She simply replied like it was no big deal. Surely, she was angry at him for yelling at her, but at the end of the day it was still Daryl Dixon, and he was a good man.

"Dunno why yer'so interested in getting' killed." He muttered and aimed his crossbow at the first walker that came into view. He didn't like putting Beth in danger but he was somewhat glad that she was stepping up to stay back with him and so he didn't insist on sending her back. Moreover it was just a few of them, nothing he couldn't handle by himself and also he knew it more than anything else that he wouldn't let anything happen to her.

* * *

Back at the prison, Rick and the other had already left and were heading to the store where the group had left Daryl and Beth behind yesterday. Glenn was driving and Michonne was showing the route to Glenn from the passenger seat while Rick and Maggie sat on the back seat. Maggie was visibly anxious and Glenn glanced at her from the rear-view mirror. "We're gonna find them." He reassured her but she heeded no attention to him and looked out of the window.

Michonne turned back and looked at Rick who just nodded at her implying that everything was okay. "We're almost there." She informed the others and looked ahead to see the familiar surrounding that she had come upon the day before.

On reaching the gas Station they all came to see Daryl's motorcycle, which was still on the spot where he had parked it yesterday. Maggie tensed up and immediately rushed out of the vehicle when the engine stopped. "They're still they." She said loudly to the others as her eyes scanned through the gas station and the store.

She hastily strode inside with the others following behind and soon were caught up with a strong rotting stench. They found the way to be blocked from the shelves that had fallen from the commotion yesterday and Rick climbed over the shelves. He went ahead while the others searched around, their eyes running through everything that had befallen infront of them.

Glenn was the next to pass the shelves, followed by Maggie. Michonne stayed back just in case some lingering walkers came by and she had to take care of them.

When Maggie reached Glenn and Rick, she saw them crouching down and scanning the bodies of a walker. There were three more walker bodies that lay limp on the floor but Maggie didn't find it necessary to inspect them all.

Rick stood up and spoke quietly making his way to the other three bodies. "They were shot by them." He announced in a low voice.

Maggie looked down at the walkers and saw the gunshots on each of them and a wave of relief flushed through her. She knew that Beth and Daryl had made it out but seeing it with her own eyes made it all real.

Glenn got up and headed to the backdoor. Maggie and Rick followed by and they came at a halt when they saw the backdoor wide open.

"They left from here." Glenn said as he eyes wandered over the vast woods that stretched infront of them.

Rick also looked at the woods for a moment and stepped ahead. "Let's go and find 'em."

* * *

Daryl was panting as he stabbed the last walker that came out from behind the trees. Having Beth along with him didn't prove to be bad as she had tackled two of the walkers on her own much to his astonishment. Nonetheless, he was glad that she had been able to defend herself on her second try atleast.

"I'll get them back." Beth informed Daryl and hurried towards where Hazel, Jerome and Justin had been hiding.

After everyone had assembled together, they continued their journey to the gas station. They were relieved that everything was fine till now and hoped that it remained that way for the rest of their journey as they walked through the forest.

"Do we even know where the hell we're goin'?" Justin asked in a annoyed manner, slapping a mosquito on his arm.

Daryl heard it but paid no attention and kept moving forward. Beth too tensed up everytime he spoke up and just hoped that he didn't speak any further. She didn't like him and was sure that it was the same for Daryl and he wasn't good with his temper as her. She quietly hoped that he didn't push Daryl much, cause no one would probably want to deal with his temper right in the middle of the woods.

"Just keep moving Justin." Hazel replied sharply earning a glare from him.

"The hell with you people. What if it's a trap." He stopped in his tracks. "We dunno where he's leading us to."

Everyone except Daryl stopped. He heard it right but kept walking not bothering to look back. "Beth c'mon, ain't got time fo' shits." He said in a casual but stern and demanding voice.

Beth frowned at the others and then at Daryl who proceeded to walk ahead. She scooted over to catch up with him. "Daryl, wait." She said trying to catch her breath. "We can't leave them alone."

"Ain't any of my business."

He kept taking short steps and on realizing that Beth was not behind him, he stopped. He let out a frustrated sigh and turned around. He looked over at Justin and the others. Beth sighed but didn't speak anything. She knew there was no point of arguing with him and so she stood silent.

"M'gonna wait fo' two minutes" he informed loudly and looked at Beth who gave him a blank expression. "nd' if y'guys don' get yer shit together, we're leavin'."

After a while Daryl and Beth heard some footsteps and saw the others moving in their direction. Beth sighed in relief. "They're coming."

Daryl said nothing as his ears were already hooked on something else. "Someone's out 'ere."he said quietly as they all stood firmly on hearing the of rustle of leaves. Daryl's ears perked up.

"It's not a walker." He alarmed the others.

They all waited, tensed up as Daryl tried to pinpoint the direction it was coming from. The sound was nearing and when Daryl located from where it was coming from, he swiftly aimed his crossbow at the direction and held his finger against the trigger, ready to fire it.

"Whoa . . . whoa . . .whoa!" Glenn exclaimed as he came up from behind the bush.

"Jesus!" Beth exhaled deeply with a chuckle on seeing her brother-in-law.

Daryl lowered his crossbow, relived that it was neither a walker nor a human, but his own people. One thing he hated more than the walkers were people. They were far more destructive and evil than the walkers.

Maggie, Rick and Michonne came up from behind and on seeing Beth, Maggie instantly lunged at her sister.

"Thank God you're fine!" she exclaimed with excitement.

"Yeah, I am." Beth replied as she tightly hugged back her sister and the other three just witnessed the reunion in awkwardness.

Rick was relieved at seeing both of them safe and glanced at the other three unfamiliar faces that he hadn't recognized. He came near to Daryl and gave a pat on his shoulder. "Glad to see you back." He then looked over at Beth and completed. "And thanks for keeping her safe."

Daryl didn't find anything wrong or weird in Rick's tone and gave him a nod, not knowing that that Rick too had a thing for Beth. Rick himself, wasn't quite able to understand it, but maybe it was because of Beth being the one to take care of Judith after Lori's death, and seeing the young blonde with his child made him feel that way.

On seeing Rick and Daryl interact, Michonne came and joined them. "Who are these people?" she asked throwing a suspicious glance at the three young people who just seemed to be clumsily standing next to each other.

Both Michonne and Rick looked at Daryl who sighed in returned and told them everything that had ensued the previous night and how them met them. He hadn't gone into details but gave them a clear idea about what had happened.

Rick observed them. They were young and didn't look harmful. It didn't take him long to convince himself that it won't be a bad idea to take these people back to the prison, given that Daryl had already assessed them and he wasn't going to question Daryl's judgement. He knew the best regarding the safely of the people and would never jeopardize the safety of his people.

"So we should be heading back then." Glenn's voice broke through all of their conversations and they gathered themselves.

"Yeah" Rick nodded and looked over at Daryl gesturing him to lead them, as he had always been best with the track and directions.

...

It had been an hour since they were on the road. Daryl was riding his motorcycle along with Justin and the rest of them were loaded into the truck. Both the vehicles were side by side, going on with the same speed. The weather was calm with a dampness from the rain that had stuck around and the wind was strong. His hair was blowing and fell upon his eyes. He stirred his head to clear his eyes but instead , it fell upon Jerome and Hazel who were huddled together with her head on his shoulder.

After seeing that, his mind was overcomed with the thoughts of Beth. She was young and innocent and deserved to be with someone of her own age, with someone who was young and had similar interests as her.

Surely he wasn't blind that he couldn't see that Beth had a thing for him, but he was someway bothered about how two of her boyfriends died and she didn't even shed a tear. Those incidents didn't have any context with him but it still somehow bothered him.

Nonetheless, he couldn't deny that he too had a soft spot for her and after the kiss last night, he couldn't stop thinking about the way she made him feel. He had been with a lot of women before but never felt this way with anyone else. Again, it was Beth and she was no other girl. She was special, with a kind heart and goodness like no one else.

He looked at her, taking his eyes off the road. She was on the backseat, sitting next to the window and her eyes wandered outside the window but didn't met with Daryl's. Surely she deserved better and he wasn't appropriate for her. In that moment he decided that it wouldn't be any good to let things escalate into something deeper. He had to step aside and curb his feelings for her and put an end to this thing before it could develop into something more.

He was well aware of how stubborn Beth was, but this was the best thing to do without complicating things. He hoped that this would eventually fade Beth's feelings for him too and both will be spared from the nuisance that was bound to arise from it.

* * *

At night, the prison was really calm with everyone inside their cell after having a nice dinner which consisted of squirrel and baked beans. In the apocalyptic world there weren't much choice regarding food and everyone was grateful for what they were getting and no one could complain.

Beth lay in her bed wide awake as she starred at the bunk above. Everything was good today except Daryl yelling at her in the morning but it wasn't what she was upset about. Rather, it was about how Daryl ignored her the entire day after reaching the prison, to the point that he didn't even look at her for once.

She couldn't apprehend why he was being so distant; not that he wasn't that way before but after being so close with him, after making him open up to her for a bit, it was kind of unsettling the way his behaviour had altered.

After the kiss, she found herself thinking about him more—more than it was necessary. It wasn't he first kiss but it was different. It was filled with an uncanny sense of intensity that was very new to her. It was filled with a gist of hope and reassurance and she wasn't ready to give up on it without trying.

She knew that Daryl Dixon was a very different man. Everyone in the prison knew about his confined demeanour and how he kept things to himself. He didn't mingle well with the others except Carol and Rick to some point, but the bottom line was that he was a good man in spite of his reserved and unsociable attitude. Regardless of these qualities, Beth found an undeniable affinity for him, and maybe the kiss was also a hint that he saw something in her too. But his indifference was sending her off the edge and she needed to find out why—why he had to treat her so. Moreover he didn't get to just kiss her and incite a thousand feelings and pretend like it was nothing.

Sighing, she withdrew herself from her thoughts and came to a decision about how she wanted to go with her feelings regarding the stubborn redneck. "I need to find out." She whispered to herself as she closed her eyes and tried to fall fall asleep.

* * *

 **Hey guys, sorry for the long wait. Had been real busy these days and was devoid of any ideas. A big thanks to all the people who has followed and reviewed the story and it means so much to me. I'm really trying to do better with the plotline and I already have some ideas which I think will be liked by many. So just stay tuned to the story and as always, some suggestions and reviews would be much appreciated. Thanks alot!.**


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